"Earlier this year, [Officer] Colvin — who also volunteers for the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services suicide hotline — was reassigned to lead the Glendale Police Department's new Mental Health Evaluation Team, which consists of another officer and, starting in October, a Los Angeles County mental health clinician.

The trio will respond to mental health-related calls, and proactively follow up with individuals to make sure they're getting the help they need. That may include helping the homeless find housing or following up with mental health patients to make sure they're taking their prescribed medications, said Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro.

The goal, he said, is to reduce repeat calls on the same people, which can bog down patrol officers. Since the team was put in place, Castro said, it's been averaging about five calls a day."